Flux

The ensemble of wall-based works in Flux, Kate Baker's new series of large figurative montages on sheet glass/aluminium, immerses us in an ethereal world of imaginary scapes. Veiled and misty figures in flux - as if between worlds - are captured in mysterious transits. Much of Baker's work explores the poetics and enigma of the human condition and glass is especially suited to carry this metaphysical inquiry - a material that is equally there and not there.

Flux, Baker's new series is a seamless integration of her disparate skills in glass, photography and printmaking. Her fourth solo exhibition, and the first time she has worked with metal, has proved a very successful experiment. Her printed and eroded glass 'canvases' are suspended in front of aluminium sheets, providing the perfect reflective silvery foil, making the wispy sandblasted images shimmer even more. The glass/metal duality is very finely resolved and I hope she’ll continue to play with its creative power.

In Flux, Baker has orchestrated many exacting elements to come together perfectly. The aesthetic and glass elements are entirely her domain, but some of the metal work was outsourced. Consider the precision required to position the large glass and aluminium sheets to within 0.01mm, so that the magnets connected, as well as aligning the screen-printed imagery on both; and the space needed between the glass/metal sheets to allow for light flow. The photography and transfer to glass is its own technical universe - starting with the manipulation of images on computer, generating silk screens for heat resistant enamels. The glass is then screen-printed, sometimes in several layers, and fused together. This is followed by grinding the surface to create texture, at times incorporating a light sensitive sandblasting resist. The aluminium panels are subjected to other treatments - including a UV flatbed digital printing process. Integrating these technical demands is not for the impatient, and Baker manoeuvres them confidently.

While Baker has embraced a diverse and complex practice, the photographic work with models, including her young children, provides a rich source of content and is at the heart of her interests - the human condition and its vulnerability. I surmise that it is her discerning photographer's eye that is her primary creative driver, and that glass perfectly supports her need to take images beyond the flat and fixed constraints of paper. She is extremely well-equipped to realise her poetics in glass - and is skilfully exploring hybrid formats with new materials. Flux is an impressive instalment in her bold and continuing journey with art, craft, technology and life - and has provided us an alluring new vista for contemplation.

Ivana Jirasek, independent curator, writer and arts manager based in Sydney, Australia. 

Untitled (Flux) Series I Panel I
Kiln formed, screen-printed and hand carved glass panel mounted on brushed aluminium
45 w x 82 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series I Panel II
Kiln formed, screen-printed and hand carved glass panel mounted on brushed aluminium
45 w x 82 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series I Panel III
Kiln formed, screen-printed and hand carved glass panel mounted on brushed aluminium
45 w x 82 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series I Panel IV
Kiln formed, screen-printed and hand carved glass panel mounted on brushed aluminium
45 w x 82 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series I Panel V
Kiln formed, screen-printed and hand carved glass panel mounted on brushed aluminium
45 w x 82 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series II Panel I
UV Flatbed digital print on aluminium
47 w x 70 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series II Panel II
UV Flatbed digital print on aluminium
47 w x 70 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series II Panel II
UV Flatbed digital print on aluminium
47 w x 70 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series III Panel I
UV Flatbed digital print on aluminium
60 w x 40 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series III Panel II
Sand carved glass panel mounted on aluminium
60 w x 40 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series III Panel III
UV Flatbed digital print on aluminium
60 w x 40 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series III Panel IV
Sand carved glass panel mounted on aluminium
60 w x 40 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series III Panel V
UV Flatbed digital print on aluminium
60 w x 40 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series III Panel VI
Sand carved glass panel mounted on aluminium
60 w x 40 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series IV Panel I
Kiln formed, screen-printed and hand carved glass panels mounted on UV flatbed digital print on aluminium
100 w x 100 h x 5 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series IV Panel II
Kiln formed, screen-printed and hand carved glass panels mounted on UV flatbed digital print on aluminium
100 w x 100 h x 5 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series IV Panel III
Kiln formed, screen-printed and hand carved glass panels mounted on UV flatbed digital print on aluminium
100 w x 100 h x 5 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series V Panel I
Screen printed glass panels mounted on UV flatbed digital print on aluminium
50 w x 50 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series V Panel II
Screen printed glass panels mounted on UV flatbed digital print on aluminium
50 w x 50 h x 3 d cm

Untitled (Flux) Series V Panel III
Screen printed glass panels mounted on UV flatbed digital print on aluminium
50 w x 50 h x 3 d cm